


in your arms (i'll stay)

by marvelleous



Series: i'll follow you, to the ends of the earth [4]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Heaps of fluff, maybe post 4x21, set post 4x20, this is a sequel, this one is all fluff, you should probably read part one or you might be confused
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-28 13:37:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10832367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelleous/pseuds/marvelleous
Summary: “What did you see?”Melinda shifts in his embrace, restoring some of the blood flow to his arm as she moves her body so she is lying almost entirely on top of him, smiling down at him. She still doesn't have the energy to push herself up, so her forehead is resting against his, the tips of their noses brushing.“I saw you.”Sequel toone last breath (at the end of the world)





	in your arms (i'll stay)

When Phil blinks awake in the morning, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling of the Zephyr med bay, it takes him several moments to get a hold of his surroundings.

His left arm is completely numb, there’s a weight pressing down on that entire side of his body and something is tickling his cheek.

Melinda.

She's curled up, half lying on top of him, her arm slung across his chest and her leg hooked over his hip. Her hair is fanned out all around them and she is overwhelming all his senses. He can feel where they are pressed together, smell the familiar scent that he associates with comfort.

The sound of her softly breathing brings a smile to his face as he turns to look at her and finds her staring back.

“Hey,” he whispers, even though there’s no one around to hear his voice but her.

“Hey,” she responds, her hand moving from where it rests against his chest to stroke the edge of his jaw, running her thumb over the slight stubble there.

Phil has gone through a lot in his lifetime, but he doesn't think he's done a single deed worthy of this reward, to wake up in the morning with the love of his life beside him, in his arms.

Melinda looks exhausted, but so, so content to be here with him and it brings him more joy than he can express in words. So he doesn't, instead choosing to demonstrate his feelings through actions, leaning forward even as he pulls her closer and pressing a kiss to her forehead, letting his lips linger against her skin.

There are a thousand sentiments one can express in a moment like this, but they have silence instead, taking a moment to savour being in the company of one another, for once choosing one another over everything else in the world.

“Why are you smiling?” she asks him as he pulls back, despite wearing a similar expression on her own face.

“I had a good dream,” he responds.

This feels like a dream, but he’s not convinced that even his imagination could conjure up something so wonderful.

“What did you see?”

Melinda shifts in his embrace, restoring some of the blood flow to his arm as she moves her body so she is lying almost entirely on top of him, smiling down at him. She still doesn't have the energy to push herself up, so her forehead is resting against his, the tips of their noses brushing.

“I saw you.”

She doesn’t roll her eyes or scoff at him like he expects. She’s amused, but in a different way, smiling at him as if there is no where else she’d rather be. He wraps both his arms around her waist as she moves, just slightly, to rest her head against his shoulder.

He watches as her eyelids flutter shut once more and she drifts off into a peaceful slumber.

 

* * *

 

Melinda sleeps for close to an hour and in that time, Phil has a lot of time to think. It isn’t as if he can go anywhere with Melinda lying on top of him, not that he would move her even if that was an option.

He’s mulling over the Haig he split with the robotic version of Melinda when the real one, the one asleep in his arms, begins to stir. He stills, waiting for her awaken naturally, and there’s this indescribable feeling within him as she turns her head, looking around the room in a daze until her eyes meet his and she smiles.

“Good nap?” he asks, and she nods, burying her face against the material of his shirt. Anyone else might think it weird to see Melinda so touchy feely, but she’d never been one to shy away from contact back in the day and he’s the luckiest person alive with her wrapped up in his arms.

She lifts her head, resting her chin against his chest and he cranes his neck so he can look at her properly.

“I think I need a shower,” she mumbles, and he nods slowly, brushing a hand against her hair.

“Do you want me to get Daisy?”

She looks disappointed; he can actually pinpoint the exact moment where the sparkle in her eyes dull and he realises he’s said the wrong thing.

“Or, I could help you?” he suggests instead and his heart feels so full when she beams at him. He doesn’t even stop to consider what being in a tight space with a naked Melinda might be like after so many years.

 

* * *

 

Phil won’t lie, he’s a little disappointed that Melinda doesn’t need him to carry her to the bathroom. She makes do with an arm slung around his shoulder, his wrapped around her waist as they take slow and steady steps the entire journey there.

He wants her off her feet and resting but he knows better than to argue with Melinda when she’s determined to do something. She is out of breath by the time they reach the showers and it pains him to hear the way she gasps for air, supporting herself against the door of the bathroom with one arm as he sets up a chair inside the shower stall.

Melinda does roll her eyes at him when he rushes back to her side, letting her lean against him until she’s regained enough strength to move. She places both palms against his chest, fingers hooking into the collar of his shirt, biting her bottom lip as peers up at him through her lashes.

“You’re going to have help me undress,” she whispers, and he swallows, feeling his heart begin to beat faster at her words with her warm body pressed right up to his.

He lets her lean against him as she pushes at the waistband of her sleeping pants and he bends to help her step out of them, her hands gripping his shoulders weakly to keep balance. Melinda is compliant as he pulls her shirt off, lifting her arms while he keeps one of his wrapped tightly around her waist to stop her from swaying as he does so. She rests against him for just a moment, her head tucked beneath his chin and he draws in a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.

It only takes her tugging softly at the hem of his shirt to prompt him to strip down too. He tells himself to not be shy about it; this is Melinda and it’s nothing she hasn’t accidentally caught a glimpse of before. Her fingers reach out to trace his scar when he pulls his shirt off and he takes her hand, guiding it up to his lips so he can press soft kisses to her fingertips.

Everything about this moment is relaxed, sweet, memorable.

"Don't think I didn't notice you smelling my hair earlier Phil," Melinda comments as he helps her sit down on the makeshift shower stool, his hands immediately gravitating to her shoulders and brushing her hair to one side.

He shrugs, grinning sheepishly and she can't help but shake her head at him. She hears the water start a moment before she feels it against her bare skin, stray droplets falling on her, Phil's body covering her from most of the spray.

"I couldn't help myself," he admits as he shifts them until the water is raining down on them both. Melinda tilts her head back as he begins to run his fingers through her now wet hair, separating the strands and gently smoothing out the small knots and tangles.

She hands him the shampoo before he has a chance to ask her and he makes sure to brush his fingers against the inside of her wrist as he takes it from her, feeling her shiver slightly at the touch, despite the heat that surrounds them.

Popping the cap, he expects to be hit with the overwhelming scent of _her_ , a smell that is warm, familiar and comforting to him. There isn't. He frowns as he squeezes some out onto his hand, before passing the bottle back to Melinda.

Pursing his lips, he brings his hand up to his nose, leaning out of the direct spray of the water to give the shampoo another whiff.

Still nothing.

Huh.

"Are you sniffing the shampoo Phil?"

Melinda never let anything get past her and he's not surprised that she's caught him being creepy once again.

He leans down, still holding his hand out of the water so the shampoo won't wash away, until his chin is resting against her bare shoulder and she's leaning back against him.

"It doesn't smell like you," he huffs and the laughter that comes from her at his statement is like music to his ears.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asks, turning her head to face him. Droplets of water are catching on her lashes and she has the warmest smile on her face, they're practically nose to nose, so he leans in and presses a quick kiss to her lips to give himself more time to come up with an appropriate answer.

He forgets momentarily how distracting Melinda is as she loops an arm around his neck and deepens the kiss, tongue tracing the roof of his mouth before pulling away, a satisfied expression across her features.

"I don't know. You smell like you. It doesn't smell like you. Are you sure it's the one you usually use?"

He can feel her rolling her eyes at him without even looking to check.

"Yes I'm sure."

He frowns, scratching the back of his neck with his other hand, the one not covered in shampoo, as he tries to figure out whether it's his nose that isn't functioning properly.

Phil ponders for a moment or two longer, before settling on the most likely possibility.

Maybe he'd been smelling her this entire time. Not something artificial, something fake. The real her, the real Melinda.

To test his theory, he bends down again and buries his face against her neck without warning.

Melinda actually lets out a loud squeal and he grins, lips moving against her skin in a silent laugh. She squirms against him as he inhales deeply, narrowly avoiding breathing water into his nose.

There it was.

He is pulled back into reality when Melinda's elbow digs sharply into his ribs and he reluctantly backs off, but not before gently biting at her neck, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction seeing the red mark standing out against her skin.

Phil returns to his task at hand, helping Melinda wash her hair. He lathers the shampoo into the strands, massaging it into her scalp, making damn well sure that every inch is covered before he begins to wash it out, fingers carefully carding through her hair. From the way her head is tilted back, he can see the blissful expression on her face, the little smile, the way her eyes are closed and he hopes she is enjoying this as much as he is.

This is true intimacy.

He covers her hair in conditioner when the last of the shampoo is rinsed out, brushing it over her left shoulder as she rests her back against his front. She hands him the soap and he deposits a liberal amount onto his hands before he goes about making sure no part of her body is left uncleaned. When his task is complete, he washes the conditioner from her hair too, before finally tending to himself.

She looks a little put out as she watches him quickly clean himself and for the first time in a while, he finds himself smirking at her. There’s a look in her eyes that he knows means she plans on returning the favour in the future, when she can stand for more than thirty seconds at a time without the room beginning to spin around her.

Melinda shivers for just a moment when the water is turned off, but Phil is back by her side in an instant, wrapping a large towel around her shoulders and drying her hair with a smaller one. She pushes his hands away and begins to dry off herself, motioning for him to do the same. He is fully dressed within two minutes and moves back into the stall to assist her once more.

Her skin is warm, her hair is damp and Melinda feels tired, ready for more sleep. But yet somehow, she also feels strangely rejuvenated at the same time.

“You okay to walk back?” Phil asks her, rubbing slow circles into her hip with one hand, the other playing with the ends of her hair.

She actually glares at him for a moment before wrapping both arms around his neck and sighing.

“I hope you’re enjoying this while you can.”

He lifts her into his arms once more, grinning as he presses a kiss to her temple.

“You know what? I really am.”

And he really is.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to claire for the beta :) again, if you enjoyed, please let me know by leaving a comment. i super appreciate it!


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